Mark your calendars, Austin — because Zilker Park is about to throw itself one heck of a birthday party. The Austin City Limits Music Festival is turning 25 in 2026, and the lineup announced to celebrate this silver anniversary is nothing short of spectacular. Think golden-hour light filtering through the live oaks, the smell of breakfast tacos drifting from the food village, and a stage lineup that reads like a wish list you'd write after a very good dream.
Leading the charge are seven powerhouse headliners: Charli XCX, RÜFÜS DU SOL, Twenty One Pilots, Lorde, Skrillex, Kings of Leon, and The xx. Whether you're the kind of festivalgoer who arrives at noon with a tote bag full of sunscreen and a strategic set-list plan, or the kind who wanders in at dusk ready to lose yourself in the bass, there is genuinely something here that will make your heart skip a beat.
Charli XCX bringing her hyperpop energy to the Austin night air feels almost too good to be true — and yet, here we are. Lorde's return to a major festival stage is the kind of moment that gives you chills before a single note is even played. RÜFÜS DU SOL will no doubt transform an entire field into a transcendent, swaying sea of bodies, while Skrillex promises the sort of sonic chaos that rattles your chest in the best possible way. Kings of Leon offer that classic ACL spirit — guitar-driven, soulful, and made for wide-open outdoor spaces — and The xx will deliver the kind of intimate cool that somehow sounds even better when you're surrounded by thousands of strangers under a Texas sky.
ACL Fest has always been more than a music festival for Austinites — it's a seasonal ritual, a reunion, a love letter to this city and its culture. As the event steps into its 25th year, the promise of this lineup feels like the organizers truly went all in. Stay tuned for ticket details, and start planning now. This is one October weekend you absolutely do not want to sit out.